Spotlight on Students: Exploring the Problematic Race Concept

Today's post is another spotlight on students and focuses on the sensitive topic of race, in particularly how popular conceptions of race are problematic and, frankly, false.  Please welcome Austin Bunnell, one of my Anth 102: Introduction to Physical Anthropology students, in his discussion on this topic as he explores the problematic nature of race as it is understood today.

           For centuries, humans have been divided into separate categories based upon skin color. These separate categories are now known as “races.” Furthermore, a long history of false scientific claims has supported the idea that these human groups are separated by differences in intelligence and morals. The reasoning behind these claims has never been based on scientific data, but rather it has been shaped to support the maintenance of privileges for those in power. The primary means of supporting the maintenance of these privileges is to prove that those without power, i.e. those of different races, are truly genetically inferior, and therefore deserving of their lower ranking in society (Gould).

            Before Darwin’s 1859 Origin of Species, there were two schools of thought to explain these claims of racial differences:  monogenusts and polygenusts. Monogenusts believe that all humans are descendants of a single primal pair; in this case the pair is Adam and Eve. Polygenusts, however, believe that the creation story presented in Genesis depicts only the creation of the white race, and that different species are actually different races with different genetic origins. This belief is the strongest argument for the primal differences and profound inequalities based on supposed biology (Gould).

            The American Anthropological Association (AAA) has recognized the power of race as a means to divide social classes based on variations in physical appearance. In their statement on “race,” the AAA has mentioned that “physical variations in the human species have no meaning except the social ones that humans put on them” (“AAA Statement on ‘Race’”). They go on to say that the idea of race was created in the United States during the 18^th century. Race was used as a social mechanism to refer to the populations that were brought together in colonial America, such as the conquered Native Americans and African slaves (“AAA Statement on ‘Race’”).      The stigmas that were attached to the populations brought into America during the 18^th century are still present today. Because of its deeply rooted history, the idea of race has been implanted in humans and creates a body of preconceptions which alters our perceptions about varying physical characteristics. These misconceptions connected behaviors and physical characteristics, falsely implying that both were genetically determined. Thankfully, in the 20^th century, we understand that human cultural behavior is learned through conditioning at an early age. No human is born with knowledge of language and culture or assigned behavioral characteristics. These are traits that are developed over the course of a lifetime and are always subject to modification (“AAA Statement on ‘Race’”).

             The AAA is also very eager to call attention to the fact that there are no biological differences between separate races. Evidence from DNA analyses indicates that nearly 94% of genetic variation occurs within members of the same race. This means that separate races differ in only 6% of their genes (“AAA Statement on ‘Race’”). Genetically we are the most similar of all species. Only 1/1,000 nucleotides that make up our genetic code is different one human to another (“The Difference Between Us”).

            Now that it is understood that there is no genetic difference between humans, it is important to comprehend why humans differ in skin color and stature and subsequently differ on the phenotypic level. As our human ancestors moved into open and hot environments in search of food, they struggled to keep cool. In order to adapt to this hot environment, their amount of body hair decreased and the amount of sweat glands on the skin increased. Since they no longer had hair to shield them from the sun’s rays, humans evolved darker skin as a means of protection.  The skin needs a certain amount of ultraviolet rays so that the body can use vitamin D in order to absorb the calcium necessary for strong bones. Too much exposure to ultraviolet rays, however, can strip away folic acid, which is essential for developing healthy fetuses. Since early humans evolved in Africa near the equator, they developed dark skin as a means to prevent deficiency in folic acid (“Race – Only Skin Deep”). This pattern of adaption is expressed using Gloger’s rule, which states that “within the same species of mammals, there is a tendency to find more heavily pigmented forms near the equator and lighter forms away from the equator” (Stein and Rowe, 398).

            Race has always been a barrier between human populations.  Thankfully, recent scientific discoveries have exposed the flaws in this system of classification. Through DNA analysis, it has been determined that there is no genetic difference between races, and that geographical migration patterns can explain differences in skin color and physical stature. With this knowledge, we can dismantle these racial stereotypes and future generations may no longer have to associate with stigmas attached to their physical appearance.

Works Cited

"AAA Statement on "Race"" AAA Statement on "Race" N.p., 17 May 1998. Web. 09 May 2014.

"The Difference Between Us." Race-The Power of an Illusion. N.d. Television.

Gould, Stephen J. "Evolution and Human Equality." College of Wooster, Wooster.

"RACE - Only Skin Deep." RACE - Only Skin Deep. American Anthropological Association, 2011. Web. 08 May 2014.

Stein, Philip L., and Bruce M. Rowe. "The Biology of Modern Homo Sapeins." Introduction to Human Evolution and Prehistory. N.p.: McGraw-Hill Eduication, 2014. 389-413. Print.